New Zealander Gatland says he and the Ospreys management, which includes former Wales coach Johnson and the Welsh Rugby Union's one-time fitness and conditioning coach Andrew Hore, should be "working together" for the good of Welsh rugby.

"It is the most disappointing thing since I've been at Wales, you'd like to think that us and the Ospreys should have a really, really close relationship," Gatland told BBC Wales' Scrum V show.

"And be working together, helping each other out and assisting each other at every opportunity.

"The unfortunate thing is, it just hasn't bonded or blended in any way that I would've like it.

"The relationship with the Blues has been great and the Dragons and Scarlets, but for whatever reason, and I don't know what it is, we just haven't clicked with the Ospreys.

I have got to say Warren hasn't been with us that much, I think he has only been with us two of three times since Scott Johnson has been our coach

Roger BlythOspreys joint managing director

"I'm telling them the door is open. I believe we should have a much closer relationship than we do - and not always be at each other and banging our heads against each other and making life difficult.

"Ideally you would like a close working relationship going forward and perhaps with the changes in roles at the Ospreys and maybe a few players leaving that we will be able to do that in the future."

However, the Ospreys' joint managing director Blyth dismisses Gatland's claims of a poor relationship between the Welsh Rugby Union and this season's Magners League play-off semi-finalists.

"I'm rather dumbfounded by Warren's comments," Blyth told Scrum V.

"I've always thought we had a pretty strong relationship with the union. The contribution we have made over the years has been second to none, so his comments are rather mystifying.

"We get regular visits from his national coaches. Robin McBryde is down a lot of the time and certainly Neil Jenkins etc.